2023 Botanico Chardonnay
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The 2023 Chardonnay Botanico is another of the producer's whites fermented and aged in concrete. Thicker tannins and a bigger, rounder mouthfeel and structure differentiate it from the Fosil, the grapes ripening faster in more calcareous soils and sunshine. Citrus and peach provide a bite of fruit around an edge of salinity. Full-bodied and richly layered, it is a tremendously impressive wine, balancing fruit, texture, and freshness with great skill and lasting impression. The length goes on for days, while the richness and concentration beguile the palate. This is enjoyable now but should cellar well through 2033, if not longer. A multi-generational winery and restaurant in the Valle de Uco under the guidance of winemaker Sebastian Zuccardi, these are mountain wines with a sense of place, expressive of the terroir of specific vineyards, parcels, soils, and altitude. In 2016, the winery was built after dividing vineyards by soil type, and it’s made entirely of concrete inside and out, with concrete vessels also used for fermentation and aging. Its highest-level wines are the Parcel Wines, made to show the uniqueness of a particular parcel of land within an estate vineyard.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Joaquin Hidalgo, Vinous
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Deriving from three sites in the Monestario section of Gualtallary, the 2023 Botánico leads with a high-toned, citrus-driven, herbal and balsamic bouquet followed by a similarly electric and focused palate. It concludes with a long, tensile, bracing finish that regenerates the herbal perfume first observed on the nose and lingers with crushed-stone nuances. This is an expressive, linear representation of contemporary Argentine Chardonnay.
A rising star in the Familia Zuccardi portfolio, the 2023 Chardonnay Botánico comes from their vineyards in Gualtallary, Tupungato. Fermented and aged in concrete, the warm 2023 vintage saw harvest occur nearly a week earlier than in 2022, as early as the beginning of February. The 2023 reveals subtle herbal aromas of vermouth, lavender and herbs with a hint of hops. Broad and fairly rich, with good tension on the palate, it finishes with a touch of green apple. A true reflection of its origins, its chalky texture defines the mouthfeel.
About the producer
Based in the Uco Valley, Zuccardi is one of Argentina’s leading producers. Family owned and run – today by third-generation Sebastián Zuccardi – the property crafts pure-fruited wines that speak of their mountainous Mendoza terroir.